In recent years, a recording and reproducing apparatus that uses a storage medium can search a plurality of audio data stored in the storage medium for a user's desired audio data. For example, in the conventional recording and reproducing apparatuses, two searching methods are mainly used. In the first searching method, the user inputs a keyword corresponding to his or her desired audio data so as to designate the his or her desired audio data. In the second searching method, the user selects his or her desired audio data from data displayed on a display portion of the recording and reproducing apparatus.
However, when the number of audio data stored in the storage medium is as large as several thousand songs or several ten thousand songs and the user forgot keywords, titles thereof, or the like, he or she cannot search them for his or her desired audio data.
In addition, when titles of several thousand songs are listed on the display, since they do not appear on the display at a time, the user should scroll the screen for searching them for his or her desired title of audio data. Thus, in this searching method, a heavy burden is adversely imposed to the user.
In addition, since the user should non-intuitionally search for his or her desired data with only character information, the user should spend a long time.
Moreover, when the user searches a plurality of data on a SACD (Super Audio CD) that has a plurality of data areas for user's desired audio data, since a searching screen for each data area is not displayed, information of data areas that store data that the user does not need is displayed on the screen. Such data prevents the user from easily searching for his or her desired data. For example, when the user searches data stored in a single density area for audio CM data and a double density area for audio data for user's desired data, not only information of audio data, but also information of CM data are displayed on the searching screen. That causes the searching for user's desired data to become troublesome.
In addition, since the conventional recording and reproducing apparatus is provided with only searching modes using title name and album name, the user cannot search for his or her desired audio data using a variety of searching methods. For example, the user cannot search a storage medium for his or her desired data in a searching mode that allows data to be recommended to the user.